


Together

by romanee



Series: Heart Exchange [3]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Fluff, Heart Exchange Au, Implied Sexual Content, Mild Gore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-11-01 20:47:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17874590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romanee/pseuds/romanee
Summary: All the opportunities given to her were amazing, and nothing was more exciting than traveling to a new place with Lindsay, but she wasn’t always able to come with. Making leaving without her painful, but all the sweeter when flying home.This particular trip, though, coming home would be the start of something Meg had dreamed about since she was a little girl, and never thought she’d actually be lucky enough to experience.[Previously named: You & Me, Me & You]





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing these two as the main focus in a fic, I hope I've done  
> them justice ;;v;;  
> Nadia Zhurova (Dr. Z) is my oc!

Shoving the door shut the rest of the way with her foot, Meg’s shoulders sagged as she collapsed against the door. Sliding to the floor her legs spread out in front of her on either side of her luggage and pulled her suitcase closer to herself so she could wrap her arms around it and rest her cheek against the material.  

After a three-hour long delay, she was finally in Spain, the first of many stops around Europe, and safely tucked away in her hotel room. As much fun as it was to catch up with the others she’d be traveling with, Meg couldn’t put into words how happy she was to be away from the noise and just. Relax. Cracking her fingers, neck, and toes, she fished her phone out of her pocket and skimmed through the messages between her and Lindsay, smiling at all the pictures Lindsay had sent of her, Teacup, and Buttercup while she’d still been on the plane. 

She wished she was back home, cuddling with her girls, but she could already hear Lindsay laughing at her pouting face and telling her she’d have an amazing time with her model and photographer friends. That she and the kitties would be patiently waiting for her return.   

_“Plus, it just means you have to bring us a souvenir from each place you go to!”_

If should could, Meg would stuff her suitcase full of little trinkets for Lindsay and the cats, but alas, she didn’t have enough space in the slightest to even play with the idea. The next best thing would be to send packages of stuff at the end of each trip; which wasn’t something Meg was opposed to doing. They’d already been saving money for a house, but with the exchange taking priority when she got home, her trip allowance was a bit bigger than she would’ve originally allowed. 

 **M:**  made it to the hotel safe and sound, gonna clean up then head off to bed 

 **M:**  love you, and the girls <3     

-

_Meg squirmed in her seat, her hand holding Lindsay’s almost white-knuckled from how tight she was holding her hand. Every time she loosened her grip, she’d get lost in thought and end up holding on even tighter than before. When she became conscious of it, she leaned toward Lindsay and whispered, “Sorry if it hurts, tell me to let go and I will!”_

_Instead of answering, Lindsay kissed her on the cheek, squeezing her hand back, not has hard, but enough to say it was fine and she didn’t mind._

_“I’m serious, I’m just... y’know.” She made a vague motion with her hand. “Too excited and nervous, I guess.” As she laid her cheek on Lindsay’s shoulder, she tried to make herself hold Lindsay’s hand like a normal person when a voice she’d only heard once a day ago calling out to them. She stiffened, but Lindsay perked up, sitting up straighter, waving her free hand and calling out to Michael’s friends._

_“Hi!! Nice to finally meet you guys!” Lindsay motioned to herself then at Meg. “I’m Lindsay, and this is Meg, and to start things off to get them out of the way. Thanks a bunch for coming by! Really, you’re helping us out a ton.”_

_Meg nodded, sharing a sheepish look with Lindsay before she turned back to the boys. “We hope this isn't too much trouble, we really wouldn’t even know where to start without your guy’s help.”_

_The taller of the two, Matt, smiled, waving them off. “Not a problem, usually its people being passive aggressive or way too nosey about why we saw a doctor, so it’s a nice change of pace to talk with people who y’know_ get it. _” He and Jeremy shared a looked of their own._

_“It was refreshing to hear from Michael friends of his wanted our help and not to like. Get us to talk only to end up being judgmental toward us in some way.” She must have made a face because as soon as the words left Matt’s mouth, Jeremy looked somewhat panicked._

_“Not like we’d think Michael and Gav hang out with people who are assholes on that front! We just... expect it. Unfortunately.”_

_After an awkward moment of both sides trying to reassure the other neither thought badly of the other, they all got comfortable with some drinks then Jeremy went into it._

_It was a little overwhelming, and a lot different from what Alfredo, Gavin, and Michael had told them they went through, but Jeremy didn’t hold back. He went into detail about everything; from how much it’d cost to dealing with unwanted attention when people found out they sought out a doctor._

_“Not everyone is a dickhead, obviously, but you’re gonna get a lot of shit from complete fucking strangers. But you guys have your reasoning, we had ours, and as long as you’re happy in the long run, that’s all that matters. People who aren’t important in your direct life can go fuck themselves.”_  

 _She and Lindsay nodded along, and while Meg had seen it before, she didn't realize how defensive and upset people got. She didn’t understand why people get so uppity about things that weren’t their business in the first place; just because they didn’t want to–_ couldn't _–do it themselves didn’t mean they didn’t love each other any less than those who dealt with theirs and their partner’s hearts with their own hands._

 _The second they decided they wanted to see a professional, she knew–they both knew–they’d be in for some shit from people who’d make their personal life a public topic._  

_People liked to make things about themselves if you did things out of what they considered the norm. In this case, the norm wasn’t going to see a cardiologist who'd make sure no complication came about. No. It was couple's digging each other’s hearts out like it was nothing. Which, don’t get her wrong, it was in a sense, a very romantic ordeal. On the other hand,... it was too much for a couple, where neither person had professional medical training, to handle on their own._

_When Lindsay asked how long they’d been dealing with others bullshit game of twenty questions. Jeremy shrugged, his fingers playing with the corner of Matt's hoodie._

_“Too goddamn long. We were, in other people's words, still kids when we did our exchange. You’d think people would move on, but nope. They like to act all high and mighty if and when they find out you saw a cardiologist while they’ve done it themselves. It’s dumb, but I doubt people will change anytime soon.”_

_The longer they talked about it, the more Meg thought of her parents. They never outright talked about their exchange to her, but she’d heard things when she was younger when family members were visiting and thought she wasn’t paying attention. The older she got, the more she learned her parent's exchange was far from being conventional. Now though, as she listened to Jeremy and Matt, she wondered if the words she hadn’t fully understood as a child were the same thing they were talking about now._

_Before they went their separate ways, Jeremy had given them his and Matt’s doctors number._

_“She pretty damn busy, but we’ve known her for years now so all you’ve got to do is mention us and I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to fit you guys in as soon as she can. Or whenever you guys are ready. She’s chill, but will give you the whole proper medical spiel to make sure you really know what's going to be happening.”_

-

Even with the time difference, Meg felt as though she was talking to Lindsay at every waking moment to some capacity, and it made being away a million times more bearable. Since she couldn't talk with Lindsay’s every moment of the day while she was walking around, Meg crammed her phone full of videos and pictures of everything. It started as something to keep herself from feeling less alone when she parted ways with her friends, but it quickly evolved to a near constant thing of wanting to share all the things she saw with her girlfriend. 

If she had proper editing software set up on her travel laptop, she would’ve switched to one of her smaller cameras to do things that way, but a part of using her phone, and sending off chunks of footage to Lindsay as need be made it feel, in a way, more special. 

Making sure her backpack was full of snacks, water, and all the other essentials for solo wandering around, Meg pulled her phone out and took a picture of herself in the mirror. Looking over it, she settled on two more and after comparing those, picked the best one and sent it off to Lindsay. 

 **M:**  heading out! Last day in Madrid, prepare for an onslaught of pictures n videos later!! <3 <3  

Keeping her phone in hand, she hurried out of the hotel. 

-

Other than the near constant stream of photos both sent to each other, Meg and Lindsay had two set days where they’d bother with their webcams. The first being the same night Meg made herself at home in her hotel room, the other being on the night before she left for the next city or country.   

As soon as they connected though, Meg was graced with a screen full of a meowing cat, and right behind said cat, Buttercup, was Lindsay with Teacup cradled like a baby in her arms. 

“Ahh look Tea~ its mamma. ~” Lindsay singsong, holding up one of Teacup’s paws, waving it at the camera, cooing all the while.

Meg’s heart fluttered, she couldn’t wait to get home.    

“Soon!! I’ll be cuddling you three like no tomorrow! Two months down, one to go!” she half yelled, doing a little dance and laughing when Lindsay tried to scoop up Buttercup in her arms as well. Instead, both cats whined as Lindsay bounced them in her arms. 

“Can’t wait! Oh! Oh, oh,  _oh!!_ Doc Z called yesterday, told her you won’t be home for another month, but she said she’s looking forward to talking to you and meeting us both!” 

At the mention of their soon-to-be-doctor, Meg’s pulse picked up. “Yeah? That’s exciting!” 

Lindsay hummed, resting her cheek in her palm, her eyes slipping shut as her smile grew. “Always knew you were the one, but its surreal its gonna happen soonish. Like. When we’re apart like this again, I’ll still have you here with me.” 

“And me you.” She whispered.

 “Yeah, and me you.” 

-

Of all the things to be a mood killer, it was being stuck on a plane unable to leave because someone's jar broke. And she wasn’t faulting the person for being upset and panicking, it was more it made her think that that could happen to her or Lindsay since they both traveled so much. 

That being said, it wouldn’t have been so bad if the person hadn’t started sobbing and hyperventilating while flight attendants tried their best to keep the man, along with everyone else calm. Meg couldn’t blame the poor guy... his jar was  _broken._  The sound of glass shattering alone had her clenching her fists and gnawing on her lip. 

Trying not to show how shaken she was, Meg dug out her phone from her hoodie's pocket and turned the volume up, letting the music drown out not only panic sobs, but the murmuring from the people beside, in front of, and behind her. As she started to relax, her eyes slipped shut, but before she could lose herself, her ring tone went off and startled her, her elbow closest to the window banging hard against plastic. 

“Fuck...”

Rather than hitting accept, she declined the call, wincing to herself when she noticed it was Lindsay and quickly sent her an apology along with a small explanation on why she wasn’t there yet.

 **M:**  on flight emergency, we’re here but no one's gotten off yet cuz someone's jar broke.   

 **L:**  holy shit... 

 **M:**  yeah. Its.

Meg chewed on her lip, staring ahead at the seat in front of her. 

 **M:**  it's kind of really scary 

Lindsay’s response took a little longer this time, but once it came in the tension in Meg’s shoulders melted away some. 

 **L:**  Please don’t let it get to you. Accidents happen, and if we can, we’ll get special jars for travel. But that won't be us, yeah? I may be clumsy as fuck, but I’ll take every precaution in the world to make sure nothing happens to you.

 **L:**  let's talk about something else, for now, keep me posted? Missed you so much tho~ sooner rather than later I'll be able to hug you again! Damn airport can't keep me from you forever when you're so close!! 

Smiling and nodding to herself, Meg pushed what was happening a few aisles down from her out of mind, and focused on the thought of Lindsay and their little fur babies waiting for them to come home. 

An hour later Meg found herself hobbling off the plane, bouncing on her heels as she waited for people to move faster, then all but sprinting down to the luggage claim. 

When she spotted Lindsay, and Lindsay her, they ran at one another, colliding in a heap of giggling, kisses, and tears. Meg dropped all her things and threw her arms around Lindsay’s neck, her legs wrapping around her waist as Lindsay lifted her, spinning them both. 

With everything that had happened on the plane thrown out the window, but not out of mind, the only time they parted was while Lindsay was driving; though, even then Meg kept their fingers intertwined, kissing over her knuckles while she told her how her much the cats missed her. 

-

“Are you sure we shouldn’t have just flown to her?” Meg asked, squeezing Lindsay’s arm to keep herself from picking at her nails. 

Fingers tugged on her ear then lips pressed hard on her jawline. “Meg, honey, Dr. Z insisted. Like Gav said before, the last thing we’re gonna want to do is travel, let alone fly for hours upon hours to and from  _Russia._ ”

Point. 

But it didn’t stop her from feeling like they were taking up more of her time than needed. 

“Still...” 

“Still nothing.” Lindsay pinched her cheek, turning her face to hers and kissing her hard. “She explained to me how it’d go down. She’d get in contact with our nearest hospital, fly here, set up  _at_  the hospital, do all the other things she’d need to do, meet with us and get all the formal stuff out of the way and then set a date!” 

Humming, Meg idly rubbed her thumb against Lindsay’s skin in an attempt to ease her worries. 

Dr. Z wasn’t anything Meg was expecting. 

Sure, she knew the doctor was nothing but sweet, professional, and understanding–from both what Jeremy and Matt, and what Lindsay told her from their conversations–as all can be, but seeing it with her own eyes calmed every bone in her body. Dr. Z smiled at them, and Meg knew they were in more than capable hands. 

As one, she and Lindsay stood, smiling ear-to-ear as they both shook Dr. Z’s hand. 

“Meg Turney, pleasure!” 

“Nadia Zhurova, but Nadia is fine.” Her eyes crinkled with her smile. “It’s wonderful to be able to speak with you. Lindsay has told me a lot, from your shared worries about the procedure. Which I’d love to clear up more now that we can talk in person and I can clear up any misunderstanding!”

Lindsay squeezed her hand as she nodded. “Wonderful!” 

Of all the decisions so far, the hardest was deciding on if they wanted to be awake or not, but ultimately, it was also the quickest she and Lindsay agreed on anything. 

“Awake it is. I’ll be working on you both, but my assistant will be present to lend me a hand when I need it. Meaning once, whoever goes first, one heart has been removed, I’ll be working on the other while he put whoever back together. If you’d like to talk with him more before the surgery date that is one hundred percent alright.” Nadia gestured to the young man beside her. “Adrian has been working with me since before graduating, so he knows what he’s doing, and how I operate. Top of his class as well if that means anything to you two.” 

He gave them a small smile, confirming he’d only be doing as he was told by Dr. Zhurova; and even though he was considered a cardiologist as well, she was still far more experienced in heart exchanges than he was. 

When Lindsay had shrugged, saying she was fine either way they looked to Meg for her stance and she quickly agreed with Lindsay. “If I didn’t feel safe, I’d say something. So, what’s the process of staying awake?” 

-

Two days before the big day, she and Lindsay may-have-may-have-not spent the whole night and morning kissing every inch of each other. Instead of leaving buries all over each other’s chest like they wanted to do, they made do with marking up each other’s thighs and hips.  

The whole time, like a mantra, Meg told Lindsay how happy she was, how excited she was, and how much she loved her. In turn, Lindsay got in a few words of her own, but between immense pleasure and unadulterated love, they were left gasping into one another’s mouths between open mouth kisses that sometimes tasted wet from someone's tears. 

Their fingers holding on so tight they’d both be covered in finger-shaped bruises from the waist down.   

-

The day of both Lindsay and Meg’s phones were filled with messages from their family and friends wishing them all the best. 

"Ladies, whenever you’re ready.” Nadia, decked out in her scrubs, gave them a moment to themselves. 

They reached for each other, close enough to touch hands, but far enough away for Nadia to stand between them and not worry about hitting the other once everything started. 

“In a few hours your heart’s mine,” Lindsay cooed, her smile looking as though it hurt, and Meg had to rub her eyes to keep them from watering. 

“Was always yours, dummy but yes, you’ll have me, and I’ll have you.” 

They shared one last kiss before calling Nadia back over with Adrian trailing behind her with two sets of medical stuff. Seeing all the knife-like tools sent a shiver down Meg’s spine, and she looked back up toward the ceiling. Now was not the time for panicking over a few sharp objects. 

Preparing the epidural and spinal anesthesia, Adrian asked them who’d like to go first, and before Meg could offer, Lindsay said she would, but soon enough it was Meg's turn. Afterward, both doctors kept a close eye on them; asking where and how much they felt in certain areas. And when the funny numb feeling reached her neck, Meg swallowed.

_This is happening, holy shit it’s actually fucking happening._

-

At some point, she started crying. Not harsh sobs by any means, but her soft sniffling had caught Adrian’s attention, and when he looked over her in concern, asking if she was in pain, she got out a soft no. 

She just wanted Lindsay in any way that would be possible.

He nodded, telling her he’d talk with Nadia right away, and soon after he was scooting her operating bed closer to Lindsay’s, squeezing her shoulder and telling her he was going to make it so they could hold hands. Once he told them they were, Lindsay started talking. As she spoke, Meg could imagine her thumb stroking over the back of her hand while she gave a play by play of what she was seeing. And even though Meg couldn’t feel the weight of Lindsay’s hand in hers, she squeezed with all her might.

She let herself relax or as much as she could; she hadn’t expected to freak out about the numbness all around her, but blocking everything out and focusing on Lindsay's voice, and what she could feel helped. Lindsay was more interactive with their doctor’s as well, which was nice, it made her feel less alone in the room listening to the three of them talk over the wet sounds of metal clinking together covered in blood and other bodily fluids. 

“Meg, Meg, holy shit Meg. Your heart is fucking beautiful.” Lindsay’s voice was no louder than a whisper.  

Brow twitching, Meg’s eyes blinked open, and she gasped. 

Therein Nadia’s hands... was her heart. 

Her

 _Heart._  

As it was gently placed in its new home, her lips wobbled, tears sliding down her cheeks as she moved her head to watch Adrian take it. He placed it down, and in quick Russian he and Nadia conversed before he was back by her side. 

“Dr. Zhurova will now remove Lindsay’s heart.” He jerked his head toward them. “I’ll be stitching you up.” 

She nodded, trying to wipe her eyes, but not being able to feel her limbs made it challenging; Adrian offered to help, and she chuckled, nodding once more. 

“Thanks.” 

“Of course.” 

While he got to work fixing her up, she averted her eyes and instead watched Nadia dig around in Lindsay’s chest. Her girlfriend now oddly quiet with her eyes shut, so like she’d done before, Meg started talking, complementing Lindsay’s heart every time she caught a glimpse of it. As she watched Lindsay’s heart come into full view, her eyes widened. More tears streamed down her face, and her heart was beating painfully fast. 

_This is it._

This was the official start of new patterns. 

No matter how far away they’d be from one another from here on out, they’d always still be with one another.

**Author's Note:**

> Jeremy/Matt story up next!
> 
> ♡Comments are appreciated!♡


End file.
